Push Notifications: 7 ways to get the most out of them without turning consumers off

Aug 19, 2014 • 3 minutes read

True or false: 85% of smartphone users will stop drinking water rather than stop using their smartphone apps. True? Yes! And that’s a big opportunity for mobile marketeers!

People have a love-hate relationship with push messages. They only love push messages when they are useful, but hate them when used for spammy messages. Push messages that are favorite are messages like the latest news, postal push messages that your order is on its way and other quick informational update messages.

Engage with customers

Push messages are a very powerful way to engage with your customers. A challenge however, is to find a good balance to keep your customers happy and engaged without spamming them. To do so, here are 7 useful push messaging tips to keep your customers engaged:

Choose wisely. Don’t get pushy with push notifications. It’s important not to overwhelm your customer with messages because it is you who pays for it when they turn off push messaging. Research and learn from customer behavior to inform your customer on a timely manner. Make sure you manage your messages and take note of when you send and set frequency caps to avoid burn out.

Connect your data. Make sure that consumers register for your app after downloading it and allow push messages. Important is that you gather this info into a customer or CRM database. After this you will be able to use this info to set up cross channel messaging, including push messages.

TIP: Ready for the future? Make sure also you read about our hybrid messaging solution were we combine the benefits of SMS + Push Messaging.

Content is KING. Content is the key for your customers to keep using your app. Know what your customer base wants and fill in their needs. If you keep creating useful unique content your customers are most likely to come back and keep coming back. TIP: Ask your most active users for feedback!

Be present. By using GPS location you can deliver value right there where your customers want it. You can offer something special based on the location of their mobile phone by using geo-targeted push notifications. A very simple but effective way to engage your customer’s right there on the spot!

Add value. Mobile users just love a good deal. Especially when timed right. While mobile coupons are only less than 1% of all coupons, they make up for the amount of redeemed coupons. Mobile coupons take up to 10% of all coupons redeemed! Cosmetics retailer Sephora uses push notifications to alert customers to special deals.

Be nice to your customer. Plain and simple. Just think about it. Never push during dinner, keep in mind that customer is not always in the same time zone, never buzz them during sleep. You don’t want 50% of your customers to wake up and turn off because you push a message they are not interested in. With push messaging you should be able to use techniques wisely not to spam them on times your customer doesn’t want to be disturbed.

Offer opt-out. Make sure you make it easy for your customers to opt-out of your push notifications. Sometimes your customers just need a break. But also make sure you let them know they are always welcome to come back.

That’s it. Seven simple tips to keep your customers engaged with your app without turning them off. Creating an app is one thing, but to keep them using it is another.

Want to know more about push notifications and how to use them wisely to get the most out of your customers?

More on push notifications

is content marketer and makes sure our readers always have interesting blogs to read about how to engage with customers. During the day, she answers 1K questions in her role as communications advisor. At night she preferably sleeps.